


Safety Hazard

by Seeking7



Series: 🌶️🌽🥕 Crack Fics >:) 🥕🌽🌶️ [1]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Crack, F/M, Fluff, Groose and Wind are bros, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Sky (Linked Universe)-centric, Sun is the best big sister/mom to Wild, Wild (Linked Universe) Angst, Wild (Linked Universe)-centric, how on earth is that last one not a tag? blasphemy, or unholy?, skyloft, the holy trinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25676317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7/pseuds/Seeking7
Summary: Wild isn't the only one who makes his own potions. Sky does so as well, albeit with a much firmer grasp of biochemistry. One day Wild decides to join him in the lab at the back of Luv and Bertie's potion shop, but his complete disregard for lab safety procedures makes for a very stressful time for Sky and very enjoyable time for himself. A lighthearted crack/fluff fic exploring the dynamic between Sky, Wild, and Sun!(Shoutout to all the people who attended the LW for this fic over on the LU Discord and gave me ideas for all the incredible ways Wild could violate lab safety procedures, as well as the people on the fanfic chats who gave me so much kind advice.)
Relationships: Sky & Wild (Linked Universe), Sky/Sun (Linked Universe), Sun & Wild (Linked Universe), apparently that last one isnt a tag but that wont stop me cause I cant read
Series: 🌶️🌽🥕 Crack Fics >:) 🥕🌽🌶️ [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911247
Comments: 27
Kudos: 135





	Safety Hazard

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I hope you all enjoy this crack-y, sort of fluffy Wild&Sky bonding fic! Before we start, there are a few disclaimers I wanted to get out there: 
> 
> 1\. I do not condone any of the behavior Wild displays in this fic! If you are ever in a laboratory, whether for middle school, high school, or college, please make sure to follow proper safety procedures! The laboratory can be a really fun place, but that only holds true if you’re careful :D 
> 
> 2\. There is a little bit of science talk throughout this fic. If you’re curious as to what laboratory instruments Sky and/or Wild are using at any time, don’t be afraid to look it up or ask a question in the comments! Hopefully this fic can be as educational as it is entertaining.
> 
> 3\. For my fellow bio nerds out there, yes, I know, hematopoietic growth factors don’t exactly ‘improve stamina,’ especially not in the way that they do in Skyward Sword or Breath of the Wild. However, as you probably know, most performance enhancing drugs are complex proteins that can only be injected straight into one’s bloodstream, and I still wanted to stick to canon with the idea of stamina potions being ingested orally. So, yes! There is a little bit of sci-fi here and stretching of the facts, but I hope it comes across in a relatively believable way! 💜
> 
> Alright, enough nerd talk. Let’s get to the story!

Wild loved Skyloft.

Perhaps it was the clarity in the air, or the sweet breeze that blew over small houses and smaller gardens, or the sense of community that hovered like perfume. Maybe it was how all the sleepy-eyed, friendly people had greeted him and his brothers with open arms and an impromptu festival, or the contentment Sky exuded when he held his fiancee in his arms.

Maybe it was all of those things.

Wild dangled his feet over the air deck and stared at the lazily floating clouds. He reached out a hand to grab one of them and smiled as the wet fluff threaded through his fingers. If only he had been able to make friends with Sky’s Loftwing, maybe he would have been soaring through the clouds right now. His eyelids drifted downwards and he felt an unfamiliar sleepiness seep into his bones. Maybe growing up in this place had something to do with the perpetually lazy look Sky had in his face...not that Wild was complaining.

“Hey, Wild! Have you seen Sky anywhere?”

The fleet-footed thud of Legend's feet grew louder as the veteran sprinted onto the deck, and Wild turned around to be met by the other's face pressed up against his own.

"Uh, no, I haven't seen him, actually," Wild began. "Do you need something from him? I can help."

Legend shook his head and frowned absently, gaze drifting over the forest of clouds in front of them.

"Twilight and Hyrule wanted to hang out with his loftwing. Well, that's what they said. But we can't find him anywhere."

"Oh, 'hang out?' you say?" Wild queried as he stood up, a grin plastered on his face. His legs sparkled with hints of pins and needles as he continued. "What about you? Do you also plan to 'hang out' with the loftwing?"

Legend rolled his eyes and picked at the cloth bunched around his elbows. He mumbled something about being curious, and wondering if flying was really as fun as Sky said it was, and just needing to keep an eye on the other two. Wild gave him an obligatory eye-roll.

"But in all seriousness," Wild continued, "I haven't seen him. Have you guys checked the bazaar?"

"The bazaar?" Legend asked. The veteran's eyes trailed Wild's outstretched finger and landed on a cluster of cloth-covered huts and stalls. "Oh, no. No, we didn't check there. But that would actually be a pretty good idea," Legend continued, rubbing his chin as he thought. "Now that I think about it, I think Sky said something yesterday night about having an errand to run today. Maybe he's picking something up?"

"Maybe," Wild added unhelpfully, still trying to blink the sleepiness out of his eyes. "Won't hurt to check. I'll come along with you. Where are the other guys?"

Said other guys, namely Hyrule and Twilight, came sprinting down the cobblestone path, eyes wide and spittle flying from their mouths. Groose sprinted after them, a bottle of hairspray and scissors in hand.

"Guys, there's nothing to be afraid of! I'm a great hairstylist, and I promise that pompadours are all the rage these days!"

Hyrule clambered onto Twilight's shoulders and the two ducked behind Legend and Wild. It took a few more minutes of desperate pleading on the redhead's side and Legend's smooth, diplomatic insistence that there was no need for makeovers at the moment before Groose finally relented. With a few more muttered apologies and awkward waves on Hyrule and Twilight's part, the four heroes made their way over to the bazaar.

"Do you really think Sky'll let us fly -- I mean -- hang out with his loftwing?" Hyrule asked, still balanced atop Twilight's shoulders. Wild laughed and answered in the affirmative while Legend gave the traveler a hard glare, and the four of them stepped into the bazaar with grins of varying size on their faces.

The hot, thick smell of spices and smoldering metal undulated off the bazaar stalls. Light filtered through the cloth roof in small, rose-tinted threads, and the floor beneath them was brassy with age. Hyrule, eyes wide with fascination, backflipped off Twilight's shoulders and meandered between the stalls. Both the rancher and the veteran anxiously followed after him, and Wild was left to his own devices. The champion wandered through the booths, running his fingers along wooden countertops and waving at vendors as if they were old, beloved friends. A particularly eager shield merchant pulled Wild into his stall and all but forced the champion to take a look at his wares. Wild cringed under the vendor's cool touch and hot breath but found himself surprisingly interested in the products the merchant had to offer, a little bit _too_ interested, perhaps. He had nearly forgotten what he was originally there for when he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey, Wild, check it out!" Hyrule exclaimed. Wild had to peek out from behind the shield merchant, who had grown more and more intent on constantly staying in the champion's line of sight, in order to see the top of the traveler's head.

"What on Hylia's good green earth are you wearing?" Wild asked, finally getting a good look at Hyrule amid the afternoon bustle. The traveler was wearing a shirt so short that it stopped right above his ribcage, and his navel sat on proud display for everyone in the bazaar to see. Faint light glinted over the dips of his abs.

"Oh, this?" Hyrule said, fingering the frilly, lacy edges of the shirt. "Legend bought it for me. He says that it's called a crop top and that it's one of the most manly things a young Hylian can wear. Apparently they wear it in the army to assert their dominance or something. That’s what Twilight said."

Wild failed to stifle a loud snort.

"I can see that. Looks good on you."

"Thanks!" Hyrule said. "I'm assuming you haven't seen Sky though, huh?"

"No, not yet," Wild replied, grateful that the overbearing merchant had the decency to step to the side and stop haggling for his attention. "I'll let you know if I do."

Hyrule nodded in agreement and turned around. The muscles of his torso glinted provocatively in the low light, and more than a few of the round-faced, curly haired girls shuffling their way through the bazaar looked away in embarrassment.

It took a few more minutes for Wild to properly extricate himself from the merchant's grasp, not without buying a handful of shields first, and he found himself wandering over to the potion-seller's stand. An array of squat, broad-chested bowls sat on display, filled to the brim with bubbling, neon-colored potions. Wild peered at them curiously, trying to guess what their purpose was based on pigment alone. He assumed that the blue one had something to do with swimming and the red one most likely had healing properties, but couldn't puzzle out what the last, transparent potion provided.

"Oh, sorry dearie, we're fresh out of that!"

Wild's eyes snapped upwards and landed on the smiling potion vendor. Her hands were crisscrossed with cuts and calluses and her smile exuded a warmth only matched by grandmothers and exuberant children. She tilted her head and crossed her muscular arms, clearly trying to puzzle out the confused look on Wild's face.

"Stamina potions are one of our most popular. But don't worry, Link's in the back making a new batch for me!"

"Oh, so that's where he's been!" Wild said.

"Have you been looking for him? You know, that boy is such a sweetheart, but he's certainly on the scatterbrained side. I wouldn't be surprised if he forgot to tell you where he was going." The vendor placed a hand on her hips and pointed to a small door behind her. "He's in there, if you wanted to ask him anything. We got a permit to set up a lab behind the shop a few weeks ago, and even though it's still a little dirty and dinky, it's done the job. My husband usually does all the chemistry stuff, but the baby got sick, so Link offered to help me out for the day. Feel free to pop on inside there, I'm sure Link wouldn't mind."

Wild nodded and vaulted over both the counter and the vendor, oblivious to the surprised muttering behind him. The small door tucked into the wall opened without as much as a squeak, and Wild slid soundlessly inside the room. With a slam, the door shut, and Wild blinked quickly as his eyes adjusted to the light. 

The room was much larger than it had appeared from the outside, with floor space large enough to compete with his house back in Hateno. Black counters jutted out from the walls and a myriad of glass bottles and beakers sat on top, flanked by boxes and crates of what Wild could only assume to be random laboratory paraphernalia. 

Sky stood in the back, the cloth of a waxy lab coat pulled between his shoulder blades, and turned around at the sound of Wild’s entrance. His eyes, covered by a pair of ridiculously thick lab goggles, lit up at the familiar sight. 

“Hi, Wild! Do you need anything?”

“Uh, yeah. The guys wanted to know if they could ride on your loftwing or something...what are you doing?” 

“I’m just trying to juice this last stamina fruit,” Sky explained, gesturing to the half-wrung fruit sitting on the counter. A glass beaker filled with more pulp than juice sat next to it, and the champion took a few curious steps forward. “It’s the last bit I need to make Luv a new batch of stamina potion.”

“I’m impressed. I didn’t know you made potions!” 

Sky laughed. “Well, aside from history, chemistry was always Sun’s favorite subject in school. She used to recite these long lists of lab procedures or different types of isomers to me back when we were kids. I wasn’t really the best study buddy, but I guess her fascination rubbed off on me a little bit. However, unlike her, I prefer to work in a lab. There’s something different about seeing stuff in action than just learning it from a textbook.” 

Wild nodded in understanding, his gaze growing soft and wistful. His eyes settled on the brilliant green fruit settling on the counter. How many centuries had passed between Sky’s time and his? Thousands upon thousands. And yet...some things never changed.

It felt somewhat comforting to know that the hands of time had some respect for those who had come and gone, and the things that they held dear to themselves. 

“And, by the way, they can totally ride my loftwing. I just need to finish up here. Do you want to help?” Sky asked. 

“Oh _yeah!”_ Wild exclaimed, his ruminations forgotten. 

Sky looked around the room and pointed to something on the far counter. “If you could grab me a ring stand and clamp from over there, that would be great. They’re under the counter, the long, tall, rusty things. Oh, and make sure to put on a lab coat as well,” Sky said, turning back to focus on the fruit. 

Wild took a look at the lab coats hanging from the cabinet knob and immediately decided that they weren’t his style. There was a vibe they gave off that Wild found himself unable to resonate with, and he decided that there really was no need to wear one. It was just juice, after all, how bad could things get? He walked over to the cabinet Sky had gestured at earlier and pulled on the little knob. It snapped off with a loud crack and clattered to the floor. Wild’s eyes went wide and, after a few quick seconds of deliberation, he decided to kick the fallen knob off into a corner. With the evidence hidden, he proceeded to pry the cabinet door off and peer inside. 

No ring stand, at least, not from what he could see. However, there were a large assortment of water jugs with small, delicate looking drinking glasses sitting next to them. Wild’s eyebrows pressed together. 

Now that he thought about it, he was a little thirsty. 

“Did you find it yet?” Sky asked from across the room. 

“Nope. What’s it supposed to look like again?” Wild asked as he stood up and poured himself a cup of water. 

“It’s like a long, skinny piece of metal, the ring stand, I mean, and--” Sky turned around to face Wild, and his eyes widened so much they nearly bulged out of their sockets. He sprinted over to Wild so quickly the champion could barely process his movements. 

“Oh no, nonononoono don’t drink, _don’t drink that!”_

Wild pulled the cup away from his lips at the last second and shot Sky a dirty look. 

“What’s the problem?” 

Sky let out a wheeze and placed a hand on Wild’s shoulder as he caught his breath. “That--that’s not--not water.” 

“What do you mean it’s not water? Look at it.” Wild pointed a finger at the clear liquid happily sloshing about in the cup. “If that’s not water, then I’m not Wild.” 

“It’s--ugh.” Sky pressed his forehead to Wild’s bicep and dramatically sucked air between his teeth. “That’s concentrated botulinum toxin.” 

“What?” 

“It’s not water, that’s what I’m saying. If you drink it, you’ll be paralyzed. Oh, praise _Hylia_ that I caught you in time.” Sky grinned at himself and clapped Wild on the back. “Haha, that was a close one, wasn’t it? You can put those away. I’ll get the ring stand out myself. And make sure to grab a lab coat, yeah?” 

“Sure…,” Wild said absently. “What are you going to do with the juice?” 

“You can’t drink it,” Sky immediately replied. Wild flushed red and mumbled an apology as he pulled out his hair tie. His fingers threaded through the knotted hair around the base of his scalp as he wiggled his toes. They pressed up against the roof of his boots. Hmm. Now that he thought about it, he really needed to get a bigger size. These ones were getting small. 

Wild kicked off his boots and tossed them in the corner, relishing the feeling of cool tile underneath his bare feet, then walked over to Sky. The Skyloftian had fastened the ring clamp to the stand and was presently sifting through a small box of scientific nick-nacks. From the frustrated look on his face, he clearly hadn’t found whatever he was looking for. 

“Ugh, I can’t believe how disorganized this is,” Sky grumbled. 

“What are you looking for?” 

“Filter paper,” Sky replied. “I’m going to filter the pulp out of the juice, as the hematopoietic agent is dissolved in the water in the fruit cell’s vacuoles. For best results, it’s best to isolate and concentrate the agent. After that, we can mix it into a solution of honey and sugar to make it a little more palpable.” 

Wild’s head whirled. 

What was any of that supposed to mean?

“That makes sense,” the champion finally said. 

“Really? Haha, I’m glad it does. You know, I went over the procedure this morning, and I realized that it’s actually rather inefficient. If you really want a fantastic stamina potion, the best thing to do would be to dilute the hematopoietic agent in water and then mix it with a complex performance-enhancing protein: that’ll provide both an instant and long term effect. The thing is that those proteins can’t be digested -- too big, you see -- so for oral potions like this, only simple chemicals work. It’s a shame, really, but this is far safer.” 

“Oh,” Wild said, flexing his bare toes on the tile. “That sounds good.” 

“Gosh, I’m so sorry, I’m rambling again, aren’t I?” Sky fiddled with the elastic of his lab goggles, back still turned to Wild. “I’m starting to turn into one of my boring chemistry professors back from my school days. Here, want to make this a little more hands on?” 

Wild shouted in the affirmative and gave Sky a rough punch on the shoulder. 

“Okay, okay!” Sky laughed, turning to face the champion. “I get it, I get it! Let’s not roughhouse in the lab, though, haha. Oh, and make sure to tie up your hair and, please, put on a lab coat.” Wild gave Sky another friendly punch and slung his arm around the other’s shoulders, peering at the small instruments laid out on the table. Skyloftian chuckled again, albeit a little more forced than before, and held out a plastic funnel and small paper disk in front of Wild. 

“What are those?” WIld asked.

“The funnel and the filter paper we’re gonna use for the experiment.” Sky folded the filter paper four times and tore off a small corner before nestling it into the plastic, cone-shaped funnel. He placed the filter-paper padded funnel into the iron ring jutting out from the ring stand and turned to Wild. “Okay, so you see how the iron ring is holding the funnel above that empty beaker there? I’m going to pour the juice into the funnel, and the filter paper is going to separate the solution with the hematopoietic agent from the pulp. The fibers in the pulp actually end up diminishing the effects of the agent, and the strength of the potion in general, so that’s why we have to filter it out. However, I’m going to need your help.” 

Wild beamed and tucked a few loose hairs behind his ears. Sky handed him a small squirt bottle with a paper label haphazardly taped to it. 

“This is deionized water,” Sky explained. “I want you to coat the filter paper with this. Just a small squirt, you know, to seal the edges to the side of the funnel. It’ll keep anything from slipping in between the plastic and the paper.” 

With a nod, Wild hovered over the funnel sitting in the iron ring. The sides of the filter paper had already started to curl away from the plastic of the funnel, and Wild pressed them back together with the fatty part of his thumb. The fingers of his other hand flexed against the sides of the bottle and sent a thick stream of water shooting into the funnel’s cusp. The filter paper faded from white to mushy grey as Wild continued to drench it in water. 

“Wild, Wild! Wild, you don’t need to put that much!” Sky pried the squirt bottle away from Wild and surveyed the damage. His fingers picked at the sopping wet filter paper and peeled it away from the funnel’s sides. 

“Did I do something wrong?” Wild queried. 

“Oh dear, uh, no, no. Don’t worry, it was just an honest mistake.” Sky flashed Wild a stressed smile and placed the useless filter paper on the counter. He folded up another slip of dry filter paper and pressed it against the wet sides of the funnel. “Well, that should do it. Thank you very much for your help, Wild.” 

“Sorry about that,” the champion replied. “I didn’t mean to get carried away.” 

“Don’t worry! Nobody ever does,” Sky said as he cradled the beaker filled with stamina fruit juice in his hands. He pressed the lip of the beaker to the edge of the funnel and slowly poured the cloudy juice inside. Wild watched with wide eyed fascination as stringy hairs of pulp clustered to the sides of the funnel, and turned his head at a nearly perfect ninety-degree angle as brilliant green juice dripped out of the funnel’s bottom and into the empty beaker waiting below. 

“So that’s the juice, huh?” Wild asked, placing his hands on his knees and peering at the neon liquid slowly pooling at the bottom of the empty beaker. 

“Yup! It takes a while to properly filter, so we can do something else in the meantime. There’s actually something I wanted to show you. I’m going to get it set up right now, and while I’m doing that, could you clean this?” Sky handed Wild the beaker that the fruit juice had just been sitting in, now coated with a slimy, watery film. The champion nodded and volunteered to throw away the stamina fruit sitting on the counter, which was more of a dried, pressed husk than a fruit after all the juicing Sky had tormented it with. 

Wild bounced the fruit husk in his hand as he walked across the lab. His eyes landed on a trashcan a handful of paces away, and, checking first to make sure that Sky’s back was turned, he lobbed the fruit in its direction. The fruit bounced off the rim twice and Wild held his breath in excitement, but let it all out in one disappointed huff as its teetered off the edge and wedged itself between the trashcan and the wall. 

Well, that was disappointing. Maybe it would be best to just leave the fruit there. Sky clearly hadn’t noticed, and it wasn’t like he was going to be around when the fruit finally rotted. The champion shrugged at no one in particular and made his way over to the sink, nearly tripping over his discarded boots as he did so. 

“I hope I don’t mess this up as well,” Wild muttered to himself as he placed the dirty beaker in the sink. From across the room, the filtered juice dripped quietly and Sky’s soft footsteps echoed against the tile. The champion was about to turn on the tap water when he remembered the bottle of deionized water sitting next to him. He picked up the bottle and shook it between his fingers, listening for the sloshing sound of water against plastic. There was still a good deal left. A grin plastered itself on Wild's face as an idea flickered to life.

Wild took a few steps back and twirled the squirt bottle in his hands, aiming it at the beaker as he would an arrow at a bokoblin. He pressed one leg in front of him and another behind, leaning back on his heels. 

3… 

2… 

1… 

Wild crushed his fingers around the bottle’s middle. A stream of water shot out of the bottle’s nozzle and splashed against the beaker, wiping away the last remnants of pulpy stamina fruit juice. Once he was sure the beaker was more or less clean, he set the bottle down on the counter and held the wet beaker up to the light. Everything looked good, all it needed now was a good drying. The champion looked around for a rag or paper towel and, finding nothing, he opted for the next best thing. 

Wild pulled his tunic up over his head and slowly wiped down the beaker with its blue cloth. 

“Alright, Wild,” Sky chirped from across the room, “I think I’m ready for you now. Oh, were you able to clean that beaker? I didn’t hear the tap water go off.” 

Wild set the cleaned and dried beaker on the counter and tossed his tunic on the floor before walking over to Sky. “Oh, I just used the squirt bottle.”

“The squirt bottle? The deionized water, you mean?” Sky asked, his voice already strung tight in a way Wild was quickly growing familiar with. The champion scratched the back of his neck and nodded, unsure whether to be ashamed or proud of himself. Wild decided the former was probably the correct option when Sky pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. 

“Is...was I not supposed to do that?” 

“Do you know how much deionized water _costs?”_

“Uh, no? Is it, like, rich people water or something?” 

“Yes! No! Kind of!” Sky groaned and leaned against the counter. “Just--ugh, this is my fault for not explaining--try and use tap water. Just, yes. Tap water. Tap water to clean. Deionized water for experiments. Do you understand?” 

“What’s that?” Wild asked, pointing to the small, candle shaped instrument sitting in front of Sky. A lighter sat beside it, and a thick, spongy looking rope extended from the base of the strange instrument was fitted into a small nozzle jutting out of the counter. 

“Oh, that, yes. Yes, that’s a bunsen burner. I wanted to show it to you how it works, actually.” Sky fiddled with a metal tap right next to the nozzle and eased it forward. The air began to hiss, and the Skyloftian handed Wild the lighter. “Hold this over the top of the burner and turn it on when I count down from 3.” 

“What does it do?” Wild asked. 

“You’ll see. Are you ready?” 

“Always.” 

“3...2...1…,” the lighter flickered to life, and the small dollop of flame dancing on its edge was caught up in the sudden rush of gas. The flame above the bunsen burner swelled and shot into the air, and Wild stared on in pyromaniacal delight. 

“ _Oh yes.”_

“Oh no!” Sky exclaimed. “Too much gas, too much gas!” His hands darted out towards the gas dispenser tap and shoved it backwards with a squeak. The flame flickered to a dim wisp, and the disappointment on Wild’s face was almost as palpable as the drop in temperature. 

“Aww, don’t be such a spoil sport. It’s only fire.” 

“The only person I know who would say ‘ _it’s only fire’_ is you,” Sky said, the softness in his words undermining his harsh tone. His hand beckoned Wild forward and his fingers settled on a small, metal switch at the base of the burner. 

“What does that do?” 

“Ever heard of a nonluminous fire?” 

Wild placed a finger to his chin as he thought. The word sounded muddy and thick in his head and had the prickle of a thing half-remembered, but nothing more. His eyebrows scrunched together. Perhaps Flora had once mentioned it? That would make sense. 

“It rings a bell,” Wild said at last, “but not clearly. What is it? It sounds cool.” 

Sky grinned. “You might want to stand back for this one.” 

With an elegant flick of his fingers, Sky pushed the switch to the side. The bunsen burner let out a throaty snort, and the flame changed from yellow to a brilliant, sultry blue. 

“Woah. _Woah. Woah, what’s that?”_ Wild pressed his elbows onto the counter and leaned so close to the flame that the tips of his eyelashes took on a golden glint. Sky fretted nervously behind him and pleaded awkwardly until Wild took a few steps backward. 

“It’s a nonluminous flame. Much hotter than a normal one, since it has an unlimited supply of oxygen. That’s what the switch does, it allows air inside and feeds the flame. Pretty neat, huh?” 

“That’s one way to put it.” Wild waved his hand over the flame and winced when the hot, folding air above of it stung the fine hairs on his fingers. “Pretty hot. That’s awesome!” 

“Yeah! And you can just fiddle with that switch right there. Have fun! And don’t touch anything else, haha! Oh, and I think the juice is done filtering. I think Luv already prepared the honey-and-sugar solution, so I’ll just grab it from here and then I can put everything together. We can get going in just a few minutes. Don’t do anything unsafe, alright?” 

“Alright!” 

Wild watched Sky go and focused his attention back on the cerulean flame in front of him. A few minutes passed with him doing nothing more than shutting the oxygen on and off and watching the flame alternate between yellow and blue. When he’d had his fill of the color-changing flame, he twisted the gas valves forward and watched the fire plume towards the ceiling. The bare skin of his chest twitched from the heat, and fine, blond strands of hair danced in the updraft. Wild’s mind raced. He eased the valves backward and watched the fire die down to a flame no taller than his pinky finger. 

The coolness of the tile underneath his bare feet was growing unbearable. 

That could easily be fixed. 

Wild pulled off his pants and cast them to the side before clambering up onto the counter. A few beakers tottered off the edge and shattered on the floor, and a fine assortment of test tubes were knocked over as Wild seated himself next to the bunsen burner. He blew a few strands of hair out of his face and fiddled with the gas valve until the flame flickered back to life. The air around the blue flame grew thick and tremulous, and Wild flipped himself into a crab walk position. He carefully balanced his feet over the flame and sighed with delight as the pale skin warmed. 

The door slammed open and Sky bumbled inside, carrying a glass tub sloshing with a mixture of water and honey.

“Okay, I have everything, I think we ca---” 

Sky never finished his sentence. 

His eyes went wide, and the bowl he held in his arms slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor. 

“What...” Sky sputtered and stopped and sputtered again, surveying the sea of glass shards and spilled chemicals on the floor. Despite the flame’s heat, Wild’s skin went cold at the slack look on Sky’s face. 

“I--I can put on a lab coat if you want me too,” Wild asserted, flipping off the counter and landing on the floor. He took a few steps toward the coat rack, stubbed his toe on the cabinet knob he had broken earlier, slipped on his discarded tunic, and, in the desperation to latch onto something to break his fall, knocked the filtered stamina fruit juice onto the floor. 

The neon green liquid oozed along the floor like molasses and settled into the cracks in the tile. 

Wild’s eyes widened. Sky froze. 

“Sky, I--” Wild began.

“No.” 

The silence grew thick. Green sludge trickled down the grooves between the floor tiles, and splinters of glass drifted along. The flame on the bunsen burner had gone out. 

“No,” Sky repeated. “I don’t want to hear it. I invite you into a lab, not even _my_ lab, and you destroy it. You ignore literally every single thing I say. You think I didn’t notice when you didn’t put on a lab coat, or when you pulled out your hairtie, or when you broke the doorknob, or when you took off your shirt even though there were dangerous chemicals in the room? Do you really think I’m that oblivious?” 

“Sky--” 

“Be quiet.” 

Wild recoiled. 

“How could you? Why would you do this? Not everything’s a game, Wild.” Sky’s words were cool and smooth and frighteningly furious. “I wanted you to have fun. I wanted you to enjoy your time here, with me. How often do we get to talk, or spend time together? Just the two of us? Why did you have to ruin it?” 

“I--” 

“I’m still talking. Clean this up. Apologize to Luv. Apologize to Bertie. And don’t talk to me.” 

Sky slammed the door shut behind him. 

The champion rested his cheek on the tile and covered his ears, trying to block out the silence. 

»»————- 🧪🧪 🧪 ————-««

Wild sighed as Sun finished cleaning his chemical burns. His forearms were dotted with blisters and iodine stains, but the sacred-water-soaked bandages Sun had wrapped around them had already started to ease the pain. His scalp stung from the tight, clean braids she had scraped his hair into, but even catching a glimpse of his reflection in the polished hardwood floor made him double-take. 

He looked pretty handsome, all things considered. 

“What a handsome, sweet little doll you are,” Sun said, as if echoing Wild’s thoughts aloud. “Braids look so lovely on you. Here, turn your head. Look at me. Oh, how cute!” Sun brushed a stray blond curl from Wild’s forehead and placed her warm, white fingers on the underside of his jaw. She gently turned his head side-to-side, investigating her handiwork with maternal acuity, and giggled at Wild’s bashful smile. “If only your Zelda could see you like this. Poor girl! She wouldn’t stand a chance.” Wild laughed awkwardly, and Sun waggled a knowing finger under his nose. 

The champion’s mind started to wander as Sun continued to fuss over his burns and tuck back stray hairs in his braid. Sky had once said something about his Zelda being the first human reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia. Wild thought it was a well-meaning exaggeration, but, sitting here with Sun in her small dorm in the Knight’s Academy, he began to think that there might be truth behind Sky’s claim. Even as she tightened the bandages around his arms, Sun exuded a sugary warmth Wild found himself leaning into. 

It wasn’t hard to see why Sky was so smitten. 

Wild’s face fell subconsciously at the thought of Sky. Hours had passed since Wild that absolute disaster in the lab, enough time for Wild to clean up all the shattered glass and chemical spills, stutter out an apology to the potion-shop owners, and get back to the Knight Academy in time before dinner. He was hoping he would be able to slink into one of the unoccupied dorms Gaepora had lent the group, but Sun had intercepted him when she saw the burns on his arms. She had insisted that he let her bandage the blisters and, while she was at it, braid his hair as well. 

It had been an enjoyable time. Very enjoyable, actually. 

Wild absently picked at the starburst of scars on his face and stared out the window. 

He sighed again. 

“I’m assuming something happened between you and Link?” Sun asked, pressing small heart flower blossoms into the spaces between the strands of Wild’s braided hair. The champion startled and turned around to give her a confused look. 

“How did you know?” Wild asked. He hadn’t said a word about the situation with Sky to her -- hadn’t even mentioned Sky’s name -- and yet Sun’s eyebrows were soft and arched in patient contemplation. 

“I have a feeling about these things. I don’t know if it's because of the goddess thing or knowing-Link-for-my-entire-life thing, and I have no idea exactly what happened, but something is wrong.” 

The champion pulled one of his braids in front of him and rubbed the split ends between his fingers. He said nothing. 

“Wild, it’s okay to make these mistakes,” Sun said. 

“Maybe the first time,” Wild muttered to himself. “You would think that I learned -- that I learned how to treat my friends right after what happened before.” Wild closed his eyes and let out a silent sigh, his nose stuffed with the empty smell of teal ghosts and one hundred years of grief. He hung his head in his hands. 

“Whatever happened before, you can’t compare it to what happened today. Perhaps I’m just a silly girl living on an island in the sky, but I have a feeling that the situation you’re referring to was the culmination of many mistakes by many people...an unfortunate string of events out of the hands of even the most powerful, courageous, and wise.” 

Wild groaned and turned away. Sun was right, of course, but words did little to change the shame building in his heart. How many times would he have to let his friends down before he learned how _not_ to do that?

“You know he doesn’t hate you, not at all, right?” Sun asked. 

“Perhaps he didn’t before,” Wild said with a grunt. “Who knows about now.” 

Sun’s soft smile didn’t fade from her face. “I want to show you something. Just a moment, please.”

Wild watched as Sun stood up from the bed and walked over to the squat closet in front of them. She opened the doors and hummed something to herself as her fingers brushed the shelves, eyes squinted in frustration as she looked for something. A pleased sound echoed in the room when she evidently found what she was looking for, and she pulled a small, brown package from the bottom of the closet and tucked it under her arm. She closed the closet doors and sat down next to Wild, fiddling with the string around the package until the wrapping fell away and revealed numerous, fat envelopes inside. 

“Do you know how many letters Link sends me every week when he’s out on his journey with you all?” 

“A lot, I guess,” Wild mused, looking at the envelopes. He wasn’t in the mood to read Sky’s love letters; it only made him feel worse for upsetting someone so kind and gentle. Not to mention the obvious breach of privacy that would be, although the second fact disturbed him far less than the first. 

“He sends me eight. Eight letters, I mean, exactly eight, every week. All of these are from just last week, right before you all arrived here.” 

“Hmm,” Wild said, eyebrows piqued. “That’s a lot of love letters.” 

Sun placed a hand on her chest, eyes wide, and then let out a brilliant, angelic laugh. 

“You think that they’re love letters? Really?” 

Wild flushed and stammered hopelessly. “Sorry, I just assumed…” 

“Oh, how sweet. But no, these aren’t love letters. Not at all. Here, let me read the first part of this one. That should give you an idea as to what these are about.” 

“Wait, no, you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable--” Wild began. Sun cut him off with another one of her childish grins and opened up the topmost letter in the pile. The envelope it sat in had already grown soft and worn; clearly, Zelda had read and reread these letters multiple times. 

_“Dear Zelda,_ ” Sun began, _“I spent a lot of time with Four this week. We went bug hunting together, and he taught me how to stand still in the grass and wait for the beetles and butterflies to come to us. He really likes small things, like flowers and bugs and little animals. I don’t know if that’s because he’s so little, haha!, maybe he just likes being around things he’s bigger than? But his perspective on the world has taught me a lot. Did you know that…”_ Sun trailed off and turned her eyes to Wild, who hadn’t even tried to mask his bewilderment. 

“A letter just about Four?” Wild finally asked. Sun said nothing and picked up another letter in the pile. She cleared her throat before she began. 

_“Dear Zelda, Wind did so many funny things this week. He always makes me laugh! I don’t know where he gets all his energy from, but I wish I had a little bit of it now and then. We spent some time tanning together earlier in the week. Well, more like he did the tanning and I did the burning. It was really fun, though, and afterwards he showed me how to use that Wind Waker of his. It’s almost as beautiful as our harp…”_

Sun kept going, reading the first paragraph of each letter, watching as understanding dawned on Wild’s face. She read aloud Sky’s praises for Twilight’s horseback skills and Time’s wisdom, his admiration for Legend’s resourcefulness and Warriors’ intelligence, his astonishment with Hyrule’s magical expertise. Seven opened letters piled to Sun’s right, and only one more laid in the package. 

“That one’s Sky’s letter about you,” Sun said, twirling the cream-colored letter in the palm of her hand. The minutes passed. A clock ticked genially on the wall, and moonlight streamed in through Sun’s stained-glass windows. 

“...are you going to read it to me?” Wild asked at last. 

“Nope,” Sun said, wedging the letter between her middle and forefinger and passing it off to Wild. “Sky is.” 

“Huh?” 

“I’m going to make him. Come with me.” Sun stood up and beckoned for Wild to follow, waiting as the champion pulled on a spare tunic and buckled his boots. The two made their way down the hallways of the Knight Academy, waving to those returning from dinner and peering curiously to see the chaos unfolding in the cafeteria. 

From the quick glance they snatched, it seemed like Pipit and Warriors were play sparring on top of a table. The academy reverberated with cries and cheers, and Legend was adamantly egging on Pipit with strings of poetic threats aimed towards the captain. The others milled around the cafeteria with ease that made them seem like they’d been students their whole lives, and Wind sat on Groose’s shoulders with his brilliant yellow hair combed and pressed into a small pompadour. 

Both Wild and Sun smiled to themselves as they passed by and slipped out of the academy. Wild held the letter a little tighter to his chest as he closed the academy’s doors behind him, veins burning with anticipation and discomfort. It was really a shame that he couldn’t just tear open the letter and read it for himself; Sky’s Hylian was far too ancient for him to understand it. 

But a second question settled on his mind as he followed Sun down Skyloft’s stone walkways.

An icy, nighttime breeze pulled at his braids, and Wild’s heart beat slower.

Would he really want to read an entire letter about what Sky thought of him? After what he’d done this morning? Whatever he had written last week couldn’t be true now. 

He bit his lip as he and Sun approached the air deck where Sky sat. 

“Link,” Sun said, crouching down beside Sky and tapping him on the shoulder. Sky didn’t turn around, eyes still trained on the darkening clouds wafting in front of him. Sun leaned in to whisper something in his ears, and he let out a small, defeated grunt in protest. 

Sun nearly skipped back over to Wild and pushed him beside Sky. 

“Make him read the letter _out loud_ ,” she said to Wild. 

“Huh?” Wild questioned, trying to avoid Sky’s unreadable stare. “What? No, wait!” 

“I’ll be going, now. See you later!” Sun giggled before sprinting back the way they came. Wild watched her go, furrowed his eyebrows, then sat awkwardly next to Sky. He dangled his feet over the edge of the air deck and tried to recover that fleeting sense of well-being he had enjoyed this morning at this very same spot. It slipped through his fingers as purple clouds over the nighttime sky, and he felt his resolve waver. 

Wild fiddled with the letter, then placed it beside Sky. The other didn’t move. 

“Sun says you need to read it to me,” the champion said at last. 

“What, you can’t read it for yourself?” Sky muttered. 

“I, well, no. I can’t read your Hylian,” Wild said. He thought for a minute, then added, “and she said you have to do it.” 

Sky grunted and took the letter from Wild, still taking great pains to not make eye contact with the hero sitting next to him. His eyebrows flickered and fell when he recognized the envelope, and a dark look settled over his face. 

“Are you sure this is the right letter?” Sky asked. 

“Yes.” 

“Hmph.” 

Sky opened the envelope and slid out the thick letter inside. He played with the edges, a tight, blank look on his face, and rubbed the peach fuzz on his chin before he began. 

_“Dear Zelda,”_ he started, _“I wish I could tell you in proper words how much I admire Wild. He’s so fearless and energetic, undaunted and compassionate...a man with honor, that’s what he is. There’s a joke that we say around camp, that Wild breaks everything he touches,”_ Sky took an oddly slow breath, and Wild let out a stifled groan, _“but I don’t think that’s true. He’s brought something else to the group. I don’t know the right word for it, it’s something like curiosity but...deeper than that? Oh, how I wish I paid attention during our vocabulary classes! But the thing is that he has a way of just holding the group together. I don’t know how he does it. The thing is, though, that I never get to spend any time with him. Maybe it’s because I don’t approach him. I don’t really know what to say, you know. But I really do want us to be friends. Good friends.”_

Wild’s lips parted in astonishment. A familiar softness had made it back on Sky’s face, and the edges of his mouth sporadically flickered downward. 

“I’m sorry,” the two said in unison. 

Wild’s face turned red with shame and he closed his eyes. “I should have listened to you, Sky. I should have--” 

“I should have been more understanding,” Sky said. “I know that you’re a curious person, I should have made a safe and comfortable space for you to explore without putting you or anyone else in danger.” 

Purple clouds drifted in front of them, and yellow stars sparkled behind a wet sea of indigo. 

“Is it true, what you said?” Wild asked.

“About what?” 

“About wanting to be my friend?” 

Sky’s face softened and the corners of his eyes crinkled wistfully. “Yes. And it still is.” 

A chilly breeze blew through the space between Wild and Sky. The champion’s mind grew loud and confused, rewinding Sky’s words and searching them for any hint of disingenuity. How? Was this a lie? Pity? Sky had just seen how reckless and careless he could be, and now… 

“Wild, when I look at you, do you know what I see?” 

“What?” Wild asked, secretly dreading the answer. 

A smile climbed into Sky’s eyes, and his face glowed with warmth. “I see someone I admire, someone I want to be like. I see someone I have so much to learn from, someone who has wisdom and experiences that I want to hear about. Someone who’s fought and fallen and gotten up again, even though the world was determined to crush him. And most of all, I see someone who is really, _really_ fun to be around. Even if he is a little careless sometimes.” 

Wild’s face contorted in pain and confusion and some unfamiliar cousin of humility. His eyes scanned Sky’s face once more, and the sincerity nearly bursting from the other’s smile eased a deep ache in his heart. Sky stood up and helped Wild to his feet. 

“I’m glad I know you,” Wild said pathetically. His mouth opened and closed, looking for words and finding none. A sudden warmth seized him as he looked at the elated smile on Sky’s face, and he found his arms moving forward and wrapping the other hero in his arms. Sky grunted in surprise, then melted into the hug. 

“Did you say something earlier about wanting to ride my loftwing?” Sky asked, his jaw resting on Wild’s shoulder. The other nodded, and a wicked grin Wild couldn’t see skittered across Sky’s face. The Skyloftian tightened his arms around Wild’s waist and threw his weight backwards, sending the pair hurtling over the edge of the air deck and plummeting through the clouds. 

Wild shrieked as the two fell. Sky giggled, bringing his fingers to his face and letting out a loud whistle. His loftwing burst from the clouds beneath and scooped both heroes up on his back. Wild let out a long, airy wail of relief into the loftwing’s crimson feathers and Sky gave him a friendly smile, rubbing the champion’s back until he relaxed. 

The cool, nighttime wind threaded through Wild’s braids and kissed the stinging skin of his face. The champion giggled as Sky urged his loftwing to go faster, then screamed in delight as the bird did a backflip and twirled through the air with the grace of a falcon. 

The night wore on, and the clouds faded from purple to blue to black. Sky’s loftwing flew slower, and the air grew foggy from their laughter and breath. Moonlight glistened off the loftwing’s crimson feathers and Wild’s quiet smile. 

A nameless loneliness that he had carried for more than a hundred years began to chip away at the edges. 

He found his arms wrapping themselves around Sky once again. 

_...I really do want us to be friends..._  
  


_...good friends..._

Wild smiled and hugged Sky tighter.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! This fic was such a pleasure to write. Shoutout to all the wonderful people who attended the LW over on the LU Discord and gave me pointers and idea scenarios, as well as everyone on the fanfic channels who gave me advice on how to improve the dialogue between Sun and Wild. If you have any questions or comments, don’t be afraid to leave your thoughts down below! I reply to each and every comment I get.


End file.
